In the past 18 months, Campaspe Shire Council has seen five of its waste truck fleet go up in flames as they collect suspected batteries illegally dumped in household bins.
As a result, council has enlisted the help of Sustainability Victoria to deliver eight brand new e-waste bins for household batteries in easy-to-reach locations across the shire.
The accessible town-centre locations include Echuca Customer Service Hub and libraries in Rochester, Kyabram, Rushworth, Tongala and Echuca, along with Mt Scobie Resource Recovery Centre and Echuca Resource Recovery Centre.
The in-town bins will primarily accept household batteries, with expansion for small e-waste products such as electric toothbrushes, headphones and more at some locations.
Council director of sustainability Michael Sharp said the new bins would complement the free e-waste drop-off service currently available at the resource recovery centres.
These convenient locations will provide better access for residents who cannot easily travel to a resource centre to dispose batteries.
Additionally, the two existing resource recovery centres in Echuca and Kyabram will be upgraded to improve separation and storage infrastructure.
Upgrades will also be supported by “refreshed, clear signage” that will be used to educate residents on how to dispose of batteries correctly.
“Sustainability Victoria has given us the opportunity to expand battery and small e-waste drop-off options into our regional towns, as a response to our communities’ growing needs,” Mr Sharp said.
“By making safe disposal more visible and convenient in town centres, libraries and council facilities, we help reduce the likelihood of batteries and vapes entering collection trucks, where they can ignite and cause fires.”
Mr Sharp said Sustainability Victoria would be funding two thirds of the project, which is currently running a campaign to raise awareness about safe disposal of batteries and electronics.
Sustainability Victoria chief executive Matt Genever said the ‘Small acts, big impact’ campaign focused on how individual waste management choices could affect the entire community, particularly with e-waste.
“This campaign is about shining a light on the embedded batteries in everyday items like electric toothbrushes, vacuum cleaners, power tools, e-bikes, vapes and portable chargers, and reminding Victorians that batteries and e-waste do not belong in kerbside bins,” Mr Genever said.
On Sustainability Victoria’s website residents can easily find where their nearest e-waste bin is by using the interactive map and searching ‘Campaspe Shire Council’.
For more information on what goes in what bin, visit sustainability.vic.gov.au
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